25 October 2016
From a historic past five seasons to the prospect of further success to come, Tuesday’s shareholders’ assembly at Juventus Stadium once again provided a comprehensive overview of a club in better health than ever before.
Having discussed the financial condition of the Old Lady earlier in the morning, the details of which can be found **here**, president Andrea Agnelli then moved on to address the media, gathered at the Stadium’s press conference suite in the afternoon to summarise the day’s activities.
Joined by vice-president Pavel Nedved, CEO Giuseppe Marotta and CFO Aldo Mazzia, the key quotes from the directors’ meeting with the nation’s journalists are as follows:
Andrea Agnelli
"In 2006, Italian football was more or less on a par with Europe's other major leagues. In the following years, it stood still and, as a result, we are five years behind. The likes of the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Premier League are in far better health but that is not to say that will always be the case.
“For the next three to four years, Juventus has the potential to reach the heights of Europe’s biggest clubs. With the correct and necessary reforms, our growth will coincide with the re-emergence of Serie A as one of the continent’s leading divisions.
“Nothing is preventing Italy from having at least two teams in the Champions League quarter-finals in the coming years. There is a lot of ground to make up on our rivals but from the fans to the standard of football, we already have most of the requisite tools to do so.”
Pavel Nedved
“I would say that Juve are certainly on the right track so far this term. That said, even though we are top of the league after nine matches, there is still plenty to work and improve on. As we have said before, we are now looking to develop our style of play and ensure that we consolidate our early position of strength.
“Even the world’s greatest players can struggle to adapt to new surroundings when they move club, but in the case of Higuain we are absolutely delighted. He has made an excellent start to life here. I believe he is one of the finest finishers in the world at the moment.”
Giuseppe Marotta
"The title race this season is wide open; the campaign is still only nine matches old and the standings are only now starting to take shape. There are many ways of lifting the Scudetto, whether with younger players or more experienced stars, but all that matters is that you are top of the table at the end of May.
“Our transfer business? Over the summer we were able to take advantage of the buy-out clauses of two very important players, Gonzalo Higuain and Miralem Pjanic. This kind of clause is common across the world of football and it is our duty to ensure that we are aware of any opportunities to move for quality players wherever possible."
